WISCONSIN BLUE BOOK

INSIDE THE 2019–2020

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© 2019 Wisconsin Legislative Reference BureauOne East Main Street, Suite 200, Madison, Wisconsin 53703

http://legis.wisconsin.gov/lrb • 608-504-5801

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license,

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The Wisconsin Blue Book is the biennial alma-nac of Wisconsin government. The 2019–20 Wisconsin Blue Book includes biographies of elected state officers and legislators, infor-mation about the units of state government, a feature article highlighting Wisconsin’s groundbreaking veterans legislation, the text of the Wisconsin Constitution, and sta-tistical and reference information. The Blue Book is intended to be readable and us-able for civics classes in Wisconsin schools.

This study guide is designed for upper elementary students and consists of questions about Wisconsin state government and in-teresting facts about Wisconsin.

THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

1. Read the overview of the Wisconsin legislature on pp. 131–32 and answer the following:

a. What are the two houses of the legislature?

b. How many total members make up the Wisconsin legislature?

c. How many assembly districts are in the territory of each senate district?

2. Which senate district do you live in?

3. What is the name and party of your senator?

4. When will your district hold its next election for senator?

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5. Which assembly district do you live in?

6. What is the name and party of your representative?

7. Look at the table of votes for state representatives on pp. 611–15. By how many votes did your representative win in the last election?

8. List two ways you can contact your representative.

9. Using the information on pp. 136–40, determine if the following statements are true or false:

a. If the governor fails to sign a bill within five days, it is thrown away.

True

False

b. A bill or part of a bill that the governor has vetoed can become a law if both houses of the legislature pass it again with a two-thirds vote, rather than a simple majority vote.

True

False

10. Using the information on legislative committees on pp. 133–35, answer the following:

a. Who appoints the members of committees in each house?

b. What is the name of a committee that includes members from both houses?

There are 33 members of the state senate, and they are elected for four-year terms.

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THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH

11. According to the table on p. 475, how many governors have there been in Wisconsin?

12. According to pp. 4–7, who is the lieutenant governor of Wisconsin?

13. According to pp. 4–7, Wisconsin has six executive officers. Which one is nonpartisan?

THE JUDICIAL BRANCH

14. Using the information on pp. 265–66, answer the following questions:

a. How many justices does the Wisconsin Supreme Court have?

b. How many years is the term of a Wisconsin Supreme Court justice?

c. In what month are state supreme court justices elected?

U.S. CONGRESS

15. Read the information about Wisconsin’s U.S. congressional delegation on pp. 12–19 and answer the following:

a. Name the two U.S. senators who represent Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin State Historical Society is an executive branch agency that preserves historical and cultural resources such as the Wade House historic site, a stagecoach inn from the 1850s. Above, visitors enjoy a ride in an omnibus.

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b. What is the name and party of your U.S. representative?

c. According to the map on p. 14, Wisconsin is divided into how many congressional districts?

THE FEATURE ARTICLE

16. Read the feature article beginning on p. 282. Pretend you are a soldier returning from fighting in World War I. Write a letter to Wisconsin legislators describing what laws they could pass to help you and other veterans.

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After an armistice ended World War I, many letters from soldiers expressed impatience to return home. Even though the armistice was signed in November 1918, many servicemen did not leave France until late April or early May 1919.

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b. What is the state flower?

c. What is the state dog?

d. Which of the following is the state song?

“On, Wisconsin”

“Oh Wisconsin, Land of My Dreams”

“The Wisconsin Waltz”

STATE SYMBOLS

17. Look at the state coat of arms and its description on p. 455. Name three things you see in the coat of arms and describe what they represent.

18. Look at the description of ginseng, Wisconsin’s newest state symbol, on p. 454. How many pounds of ginseng did Wisconsin farmers grow in 2017?

19. For answers to the following, see the spread of state symbols on pp. 452–56.

a. What is the state fossil?

Ginseng, Wisconsin’s state herb, has been cultivated in Wisconsin for over a century. It is estimated that in 2017 Wisconsin farmers produced approximately 10 percent of the world’s supply of ginseng.

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20. Find the symbols listed below in the word search. Some may be backwards or diagonal. (Print out to complete.)

GinsengDairy CowMuskellungeSugar Maple

HoneybeeCranberryKringleCheese

MilkTartanPolkaGalena

R I G A U G P V L D C Z U N V

G N D C D D W K T A O V S C L

J I G M S G N W E I Y F X Z W

T W N N N S U G A R M A P L E

A Q L S L H S Q R Y J I D A B

R H O N E Y B E E C H L U W R

T B M W L N B J C O L F H M M

A T R I S N G I H W E J P L D

N W K C A I M N E S P M I L K

G I J R M U S K E L L U N G E

L A C Q I Z D Z S U F K Z I U

X O D Y L N J H E F R T S K T

J S K Q Y Q G A L E N A E O M

L M N B W P O L K A V I U T F

G X Q V V B Q K E I R U M E B

MORE ABOUT WISCONSIN

21. Use the timeline of significant events in Wisconsin history beginning on p. 458 to answer the following questions:

a. When was the Wisconsin territory transferred from the French to the British?

b. In the Progressive Era, which Wisconsinite ran for president and won the state of Wisconsin?

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22. Look at the table on p. 515 titled “Wisconsin population since 1840.” What was the rural population of Wisconsin in 1940?

23. Using the information on pp. 560–62, list the five parties that qualified for ballot status as of June 2017.

24. Using the table on p. 691, how many Wisconsinites were killed in World War II?

25. Using the table on p. 701, for how many agricultural products is Wisconsin the leading state producer?

26. Using the table on p. 708, how many bears were harvested in Wisconsin in 2017–18?

WISCONSIN CONSTITUTION

27. Find the Wisconsin Constitution starting on p. 724. The constitution is divided into sections called “articles.” How many articles are there?

28. According to article IV, section 6, of the state constitution, what are the two qualifications required to serve in the legislature?

29. According to article V of the state constitution, if both the governor and lieutenant governor are no longer able to serve, who would become governor?

30. Which article of the Wisconsin Constitution declares the rights of all citizens?

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USING THE INDEX

31. Use the index starting on p. 759 to find the following information:

a. Who is your county’s sheriff?

b. When was your county created?

c. How many court of appeals districts are there in Wisconsin?

d. The name of the senate majority leader is

e. The name of the speaker of the assembly is ANSWER GUIDE

The legislative branch

1. See pp. 131–32.

a. The assembly and the senateb. 132 (99 in the assembly + 33 in the senate)c. Three

2. Answers will vary. See map of senate districts on p. 20.

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3. Answers will vary. See legislative bios pp. 22–125.

4. Answers will vary.

5. Answers will vary. See map of senate districts on p. 20 and maps in legislative bios pp. 22–125.

6. Answers will vary. See legislative bios pp. 22–125.

7. Answers will vary. See district vote for representatives to the assembly, general and special elections, pp. 611–15.

8. Answers will vary, but include his or her email, telephone, or mailing address. See legislative bios pp. 20–125.

9. See pp. 136–40.

a. Falseb. True

10. See pp. 133–35.

a. The assembly speaker in the assembly and the senate majority leader in the senate

b. Joint committee

The executive branch

11. 46. See table p. 475.

12. Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes. See bio p. 5 and Wisconsin lieutenant governors since 1848, p. 479.

13. State superintendent of public instruction. See p. 6.

The judicial branch

14. See pp. 265–66.

a. Sevenb. Tenc. April

U.S. Congress

15. See pp. 12–19.

a. Senators Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson. See pp. 12–13.

b. Answers will vary. Look at the map on p. 14 to find the congressional district that covers your home; then look at pp. 14–19 to find the representative for that district.

c. Eight

The feature article

16. Answers will vary. See pp. 282–343.

State symbols

17. Any of the following (see p. 455):

• Plow (in shield): agriculture• Pick and shovel (in shield): mining• Arm and hammer (in shield): manufacturing• Anchor (in shield): navigation• Small shield: U.S. coat of arms and Wisconsin’s

membership in and loyalty to the United States• Sailor: labor on water• Yeoman: labor on land

1918

• Horn of plenty: prosperity and abundance• Pyramid of 13 lead ingots: mineral wealth and the 13

original states of the United States• Badger: state animal

18. Over one million pounds

19. See pp. 452–53.

a. Trilobiteb. Wood violetc. American water spanield. “On, Wisconsin”

20. R I G A U G P V L D C Z U N V

G N D C D D W K T A O V S C L

J I G M S G N W E I Y F X Z W

T W N N N S U G A R M A P L E

A Q L S L H S Q R Y J I D A B

R H O N E Y B E E C H L U W R

T B M W L N B J C O L F H M M

A T R I S N G I H W E J P L D

N W K C A I M N E S P M I L K

G I J R M U S K E L L U N G E

L A C Q I Z D Z S U F K Z I U

X O D Y L N J H E F R T S K T

J S K Q Y Q G A L E N A E O M

L M N B W P O L K A V I U T F

G X Q V V B Q K E I R U M E B

More about Wisconsin

21. See timeline beginning on p. 458.

a. 1763. See p. 458.b. Robert La Follette, Sr. See p. 465.

22. 1,458,443. See p. 515.

23. The Democratic Party of Wisconsin; the Republican Party of Wisconsin; the Libertarian Party of Wisconsin; the Wisconsin Green Party; and the Constitution Party of Wisconsin. See information beginning on p. 560.

24. 8,390. See p. 691.

25. Ten. See p. 701.

26. 4,159. See p. 708.

Wisconsin Constitution

27. 14. See pp. 724–27.

28. A candidate must (1) have resided in the state for one year and (2) be a qualified elector in the district that he or she would represent. See p. 733.

29. The secretary of state. See p. 740.

30. Article I

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Using the index

31. See the index starting on p. 759.

a. Answers will vary. See index entry for “sheriffs” and table on pp. 646–47.

b. Answers will vary. See index entry for “counties, creation date” and table on pp. 524–25.

c. Four. See index entry for “appeals, court of” or “courts, appeals, court of.”

d. Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald. See index entry for “senate, Wisconsin, majority leader.”

e. Speaker Robin Vos. See index entry for “assembly, speaker.”